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2014 BMW 328d xDrive Sport Wagon

There's a running joke among auto writers that the perfect car would be a diesel-powered, rear-drive wagon with manual transmission and no power accessories whatsoever. It would only be available in brown and would somehow be as fun to drive as a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Makes total sense, right?
Realistically, no manufacturer is ever going to completely fulfill our wishes, no matter how much we beg, plead, kick and scream about our dream car that most of us would actually never buy. The best we can do is hope for a vehicle that mixes some aspects of this ideal journalist's car. And in today's world, that vehicle just might be the BMW 328d xDrive Sport Wagon.
No, it's not available with a manual gearbox, and power can only be sent through an xDrive all-wheel-drive system. It's also not available in brown (although both Mojave Metallic and Sparkling Bronze Metallic are acceptable stand-ins), but it ticks the two main boxes of being a diesel-powered wagon, one of only a couple such models in the United States.

These BMW M6 GTLM racing liveries are great

This weekend we'll see a whole new crop of racing machinery line up for the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona, including the new BMW M6 GTLM. So far we've only seen it in flat black, but now the Bavarian automaker has revealed two special liveries for the two cars it will be fielding in the race this weekend. The number 25 car features a throwback livery that reinterprets BMW's classic racing stripes of red, dark blue, and light blue over white bodywork. It's designed to be reminiscent of – and even features images of – legendary racing machinery from the Roundel marque's history. Those include the 3.0 CSL that wore the same number when it took the company's first win in the US at Sebring in 1975, the M1 sports car from the early 1980s, the V12 LMR that scored BMW's only Le Mans victory to date in 1999, and the M3 GT that dominated the American Le Mans Series in 2011. The second car features a more futuristic livery, wearing the number 100 to mark the automaker's centenary and a multicolor lattice design applied with a luminescent 3D-effect reflective vinyl on a white body. They'll both be fielded by BMW Team RLL, a partnership between the manufacturer and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (of Indy fame), which took a class win at Laguna Seca last year. The new M6 GTLM replaces the previous Z4 GTLM and will proliferate across racing grids in motorsport series around the world following its race debut this weekend. But it won't be the only new piece of racing kit turning a wheel in anger for the first time at Daytona; the new Ford GT and Ferrari 488 GTE will be competing in the GT Le Mans class alongside proven competition machinery. BMW Team RLL reveals 100th anniversary livery for the BMW M6 GTLM race cars in Daytona. Daytona (US), 27th January 2016. BMW Team RLL today revealed two commemorative 100th anniversary liveries for the new BMW M6 GTLM race cars, with which Bobby Rahal's (US) team will compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona (US). The race forms the first round of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). The number 25 car sports a look reminiscent of the iconic BMW 3.0 CSL, which contested its first season of racing in North America back in 1975 and claimed the first victory in Daytona 40 years ago. The second BMW M6 GTLM will race with the number 100. To mark BMW's 100th anniversary this year, its livery looks to the future.

Recharge Wrap-up: Houston's bus revival, autonomous trucks on the Autobahn

A documentary shows how Houston, Texas significantly improved its outdated bus system. Called High Frequency: Why Houston is Back on the Bus, the short film describes how the city reimagined its bus system to become more efficient, more useful and more popular. Despite some opposition, the change has proven to be effective, with bus ridership up eight percent in three months, and light rail ridership up due to complementary bus routes. See the video above, and read more at CityLab. Automakers sent autonomous semi trucks on the German Autobahn as part of the European Truck Platooning Challenge of 2016. Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Scania, among other groups, sent platoons of trucks between Stuttgart, Germany, and Rotterdam, Holland. In Mercedes's platoon of three trucks, the lead truck was fitted with lasers and other sensors to guide the convoy down the road. The two following trucks relied on vehicle-to-vehicle communication to trail 50 feet behind the lead, making room for cars to come between them and closing the gaps when able. The close following distance provides fuel economy gains of up to 10 percent in the rearward trucks on account of the reduction in drag. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Renault has reduced NOx emissions in its Euro 6b diesel vehicles in real world driving conditions. By improving its exhaust gas recirculation systems and NOx traps, nitrogen oxide emissions are cut in half on average, under certain driving conditions. The improvements will be included in vehicles leaving the factory beginning in July of 2016. Beginning in October, owners of Renault Euro 6b diesels can have the modifications added to their cars for free. Read more from Renault. Tata Technologies is creating an innovation lab in California to partner with EV technology companies. Having a tech center in California allows Tata to work on technologies that will largely be deployed in the company's main market of Asia. "Today, we are partnering with companies and startups who have aspirations to sell in China, but a lot of what they do is in California," says Samir Yajnik of Tata Technologies. Read more from The Economic Times. BMW's i Ventures is investing in mobility-as-a-service software provider RideCell. RideCell provides technology for services such as carsharing, ridesharing and other transit services. "The convergence of transportation trends in cities is of key importance to BMW," says Ulrich Quay, head of BMW i Ventures.